PERFORMANCE OF CONVENTIONAL PCRs BASED ON PRIMERS DIRECTED TO NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL GENES FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF Leishmania spp.

In visceral leishmaniasis, the detection of the agent is of paramount importance to identify reservoirs of infection. Here, we evaluated the diagnostic attributes of PCRs based on primers directed to cytochrome-B (cytB), cytochrome-oxidase-subunit II (coxII), cytochrome-C (cytC), and the minicircle-kDNA. Although PCRs directed to cytB, coxII, cytC were able to detect different species of Leishmania, and the nucleotide sequence of their amplicons allowed the unequivocal differentiation of species, the analytical and diagnostic sensitivity of these PCRs were much lower than the analytical and diagnostic sensitivity of the kDNA-PCR. Among the 73 seropositive animals, the asymptomatic dogs had spleen and bone marrow samples collected and tested; only two animals were positive by PCRs based on cytB, coxII, and cytC, whereas 18 were positive by the kDNA-PCR. Considering the kDNA-PCR results, six dogs had positive spleen and bone marrow samples, eight dogs had positive bone marrow results but negative results in spleen samples and, in four dogs, the reverse situation occurred. We concluded that PCRs based on cytB, coxII, and cytC can be useful tools to identify Leishmania species when used in combination with automated sequencing. The discordance between the results of the kDNA-PCR in bone marrow and spleen samples may indicate that conventional PCR lacks sensitivity for the detection of infected dogs. Thus, primers based on the kDNA should be preferred for the screening of infected dogs.

Numerical Evaluation of Ventilation Performance in Children Day Care Centres

Modelling of ventilation is strongly dependent on the physical characteristics of the building of which precise evaluation is a complex and time consuming task. In the frame of a research project, two children day care centres (CDCC) have been selected in order to measure the envelope air permeability, the flow rate of mechanical ventilation systems and indoor and outdoor temperature. The data obtained was used as input to the computer code CONTAM for ventilation simulations. The results obtained were compared with direct measurements of ventilation flow from short term measurements with CO2 tracer gas and medium term measurements with perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) gas decay method. After validation, in order to analyse the main parameters that affect ventilation, the model was used to predict the ventilation rates for a wide range of conditions. The purpose of this assessment was to find the best practices to improve natural ventilation. A simple analytical method to predict the ventilation flow rate of rooms is also presented. The method is based on the estimation of wind effect on the room through the evaluation of an average factor and on the assessment of relevant cross section of gaps and openings combined in series or in parallel. It is shown that it may be applied with acceptable accuracy for this type of buildings when ventilation is due essentially to wind action.

Effects of Local Anesthetic on the Time Between Analgesic Boluses and the Duration of Labor in Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia: Prospective Study of Two Ultra-Low Dose Regimens of Ropivacaine and Sufentanil

BACKGROUND: Patient-controlled epidural analgesia with low concentrations of anesthetics is effective in reducing labor pain. The aim of this study was to assess and compare two ultra-low dose regimens of ropivacaine and sufentanil (0.1% ropivacaine plus 0.5 μg.ml-1 sufentanil vs. 0.06% ropivacaine plus 0.5 μg.ml-1 sufentanil) on the intervals between boluses and the duration of labor. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this non-randomized prospective study, conducted between January and July 2010, two groups of parturients received patient-controlled epidural analgesia: Group I (n = 58; 1 mg.ml-1 ropivacaine + 0.5 μg.ml-1 sufentanil) and Group II (n = 57; 0.6 mg.ml-1 ropivacaine + 0.5 μg.ml-1 sufentanil). Rescue doses of ropivacaine at the concentration of the assigned group without sufentanil were administered as necessary. Pain, local anesthetic requirements, neuraxial blockade characteristics, labor and neonatal outcomes, and maternal satisfaction were recorded. RESULTS: The ropivacaine dose was greater in Group I (9.5 [7.7-12.7] mg.h-1 vs. 6.1 [5.1-9.8 mg.h-1], p < 0.001). A time increase between each bolus was observed in Group I (beta = 32.61 min, 95% CI [25.39; 39.82], p < 0.001), whereas a time decrease was observed in Group II (beta = -1.40 min, 95% CI [-2.44; -0.36], p = 0.009). The duration of the second stage of labor in Group I was significantly longer than that in Group II (78 min vs. 65 min, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Parturients receiving 0.06% ropivacaine exhibited less evidence of cumulative effects and exhibited faster second stage progression than those who received 0.1% ropivacaine.

Tão perto do silêncio: memória, performance e exílio entre refugiados e requerentes de asilo em Portugal (documentário)

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Antropologia – Culturas Visuais

Aspectos ultra-estruturais da forma epimastigota do Trypanosoma cruzi em meio LIT

E feito um estudo da ultra-estrutura da forma epismastigota do Trypanosoma cruzi mantida em meio de cultivo acelular. O núcleo das formas em divisão apresenta um aspecto homogêneo. Microtúbulos intranucleares são observados durante a divisão. No entanto, a membrana nuclear permanece íntegra. O citoplasma apresenta-se com vacúolos de dimensões e aspectos variados. Com o método do ácido periódico-tiosemicarbazida-proteinato de prata, polissacaríáeos e/ou glicoproteínas foram localizados na membrana celular e na membrana que delimita certos vacúolos citoplasmáticos.

Strategies for the enhancement of the catalytic performance of cutinase in nonaqueous media

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Alterações ultra-estruturais do hepatocito na forma aguda (toxêmica) da esquistossomose mansoni

Os aa. estudaram as alterações ultra-estruturais do hepatócito na forma aguda, toxêmica, da esquístossomose em sete pacientes, membros de uma mesma família, infectatos em idênticas condições em um córrego existente no município de Sabará (MG) e não tratados especificamente para a esquistossomose. O estudo vem confirmar a nossa assertiva de que, na esquistossomose, não hâ um ataque direto e sistematizado aos hepatócitos e que as lesões destes são secundárias e decorrem, principalmente, das alterações do sistema vascular estromático. Nos sete casos estudados as alterações ultra-estruturais foram inespecfficas, pouco acentuadas e se caracterizaram sobretudo pelas modificações das organelas citoplasmáticas (dilatação das cisternas do reticulo, apagamento das cristas mitocondriais, desacoplamento de ribossomas, acúmulo de glicogênio). Foi freqüente, também, a presença de lisossomosvolumosos, inclusões e corpos residuais nos hepatócitos Estes achados à microscopia eletrônica espelham o comportamento funcional do hepatócito na vigência da forma aguda, toxêmica, da esquistossomose e explicam o freqüente encontro de células claras à microscopia óptica.

Innovation at Polisport: Discoverding the drivers and impact on performance at a Portuguese SME

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Designing and implementing a performance: The case of Estomeo – Dental Industry

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Mota-Engil: A solution to turnover its negative stock market performance

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Leader succession: The impact of leaders’ background characteristics on organizations’ performance

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Behavioural assessment impacts on the performance results

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Lean performance measures in a supply chain

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

A Performance e o Espaço Museológico – Os Museus de Artes Performativas

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Museologia.